Month: July 2012

Samjawadi Party frustrated, says Shahid Siddiqui

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A day after being disowned by the Samajwadi Party (SP) for interviewing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, former MP Shahid Siddiqui Sunday hit back at his old party, saying it was feeling “extremely frustrated” at losing support in Uttar Pradesh.

“Samajwadi Party is extremely frustrated in Uttar Pradesh. It is losing grip. Muslims are losing faith in SP,” Siddiqui.

Siddiqui’s remarks came a day after SP distanced itself from him and said he had long ago quit the party and was not even a primary member.

Common fee for category A convenor quota seats for all the 700 colleges:College Managements

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(Siasat News)K.V.K. Rao, general secretary, Consortium of Private Engineering and Professional College Managements’ Association said we want a common fee structure for all the colleges.

This issue arises when Deputy Chief Minister and Higher Education Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha made a statement that the government is ready for fee hike ranging from 40 to 150 percent for 135 Engineering Colleges who submitted financial statements.

But Rao said that they want common fee for the category A convenor quota seat.

Maoists target civil society: Human Rights Watch

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Both Maoists and Indian authorities have threatened and attacked civil society activists, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Monday.

This has undermined basic freedoms and interfered with aid delivery in embattled areas of central and eastern India, the US-based group said in a 60-page report.

The report documents human rights abuses against activists in Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh states.

Aamir’s ‘Satyamev…’ ends with aplomb

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From garnering overwhelming TRPs to getting prominence on social networking websites, the impact of Aamir Khan’s maiden TV show Satyamev Jayate has been colossal. The talk show, which started with the issue of female foeticide, traversed over various burning social issues informing, educating, sensitising and touching audiences’ hearts and ended its 13-week journey Sunday with the spotlight on the right to equality.

The show went on air May 6 and in episodes after episode, Aamir brought forth unknown facts related to child sex abuse, medical malpractice, manual scavenging and dowry.

Shagufta wants Bipasha, Randeep for directorial debut

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Shagufta Rafique, who has been writing for Vishesh Films after quitting her job as a bar dancer, is all set to weild the megaphone. She says she would love to rope in Bipasha Basu and Randeep Hooda for her maiden directorial venture.

“Nothing has been finalised yet, but I would like to have Bipasha and Randeep to act in my film,” Shagufta, who wrote the script for “Woh Lamhe”, told IANS.

Train fire kills 47 in Andhra Pradesh

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At least 47 passengers were killed and 22 injured when a massive fire broke out in the New Delhi-Chennai Tamil Nadu Express in Nellore city of Andhra Pradesh in wee hours of Monday.

Nellore District Collector B Sridhar, who led the rescue and relief operation, said that the S 11 coach of the train was completely gutted in the fire, which broke out at around 4:20 am.

“The fire was first spotted by the gateman as the train was leaving Nellore for Chennai and he immediately alerted the station manager of Nellore. He brought the train to a halt,” Sridhar said.

Sonakshi, Prabhu Deva to do a special song in ‘Oh My God’

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Sonakshi Sinha and Prabhu Deva are not playing any role in Akshay Kumar’s ‘Oh My God’ but will be seen in a special song.

“Sonakshi and Prabhu sir are not in ‘Oh My God’….they are doing a short cameo role in the film,” Akshay told reporters here at the DVD launch of the film, ‘Rowdy Rathore’.

The song ‘Go Govinda’ choreographed by Prabhu will see Sonakshi and Prabhu himself shaking a leg.

Akshay plays the modern day Lord Krishna in ‘Oh My God’ Directed by Umesh Shukla.

No teacher appointment without TET: Congress

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Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Sudip Roybarman has denounced to initiative of the state government to appoint primary school teachers without Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) and made it clear that his party would not compromise quality education. Addressing media here today, Mr Roybarman rued that the left front’s student and youth wings had launched agitation against Congress for revealing the plan of left front government to ensure under qualified party cadres in teachers job.

It was not a rave party: ADGP

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A top police official deputed to take over the investigations of the attack on youth celebrating in a home stay in the port city of Mangalore in Karnataka last night, said it was not a rave party but a birthday party. ADGP (Law and Order) Bipin Gopalakrishna, who arrived in the city this morning told reporters today that eight persons have been rounded up in the incident and the others involved in the attack will be arrested soon.

Girl Molested on the beach by four men

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(Siasat News)Four men tried to rape a girl when they saw her with her boyfriend on the beach in Srikakulam on Saturday.

Four men first took the video of the couple in compromising position on the beach on the cell phone then tried to rape her.

They first tied her boyfriend to the tree, then tried to rap her, but the girl tried and ran towards village where she ask for help and villagers help her.

Villager went along with her to the beach and found one villager, K. Ravi Kumar, 24, who had a history of attacking visitors on the beach.

Working in late stages of pregnancy as bad as smoking

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Expectant mothers note! A new study has claimed that continuing to work during the late stages of pregnancy is as bad as smoking during the phase.

According to the study by University of Essex, women who work up to their due date are likely to have babies with a lower birth weight.

The study found that women who worked into their ninth month of pregnancy had babies on average around half a pound lighter than those who stopped work between six and eight months, a newspaper reported.

Oxford allows men to wear skirts

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In a move to please its transgender student community, the Oxford University has introduced a new academic dress code which allows men to wear skirts or stockings to exams and formal occasions while women can wear suits or white bow ties.

Under the old regulations, male students were required to wear a dark suit with dark socks, black shoes, a white bow tie, and a plain white shirt and collar beneath their black gowns when attending formal occasions such as examinations, the ‘Daily Mail’ reported.

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel: Romney

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US presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Sunday declared that Jerusalem will be the capital of Jewish state of Israel.

He further called it will the US’ “solemn duty of US and a moral imperative” to stop Iran from achieving nuclear weapons capability.

The Presidential Elections hovered over the speech, with the Old City forming a made-for-television backdrop behind Romney, while some of his campaign donors listened to him in the audience.

APSRTC Road Safety Week concludes

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Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) Road Safety Week concluded on Sunday.

Corporation officers said that service-oriented programs were conducted from July 23 to July 29. As part of Safety Week celebrations, over 100 RTC employees donated blood at the Blood Donation Camp conducted at Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion, APSRTC Executive Director Ravinder said that the program was conducted to create awareness among drivers how to prevent accidents. (NSS)

Kailasagiri ghat road to be closed for maintenance

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Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) vice-chairman Kona Shashidhar has said that Kailasagiri ghat road in Visakhapatnam would be closed for three days from August 1 for maintenance work.

Stating that the ghat road was closed for widening and other works, he said that visitors to Kailasagiri could use the ropeway to reach the hill. (NSS)

State police the best, says CM

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Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has said that the State police stood first in the entire nation in the maintenance of Law and Order. He also said that AP stood in the forefront in the control of the Naxalite problem.

The Chief Minister was speaking after inaugurating a modern office complex for the Srikakulam District Police on the third and final day of his Indiramma Bata in the district. He also said that the State Police had excelled in several areas other than Law and Order maintenance.

Congress takes dim view of party MP praising Modi

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The Congress Sunday took dim view of party MP Vijay Darda’s remarks at a function in Ahmedabad terming Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi a “lion” and will seek a report from the party’s state in-charge.

Party sources said that Gujarat in-charge Mohan Prakash will be asked for a report.

“First of all we will seek a report from the state in-charge and determine the truth. We will find out what needs to be done and then decide,” a senior party leader said here.

Mystery woman in Indian contingent a cast member: Coe

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The mystery woman who gatecrashed the opening ceremony of the London Games Friday night with the Indian contingent was a cast member “should not have been there,” Sebastian Coe, the London Olympics organising committee chairman, said Sunday.

“I hear she was a cast member who got slightly overexcited. She should not have been there. But don’t run away with the idea that she just walked in. We’ll look at it for next opening ceremony,” said Coe.

Rains likely in North Telangana and Coastal region

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The trough of low pressure that formed between Chattisgarh and south Tamil Nadu through the Telangana and South Coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh is continuing.

Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre has said the upper air circulation over Jarkhand was also continuing. Under the influence of these two factors, North Telangana area is likely to receive sporadic rains while there might be scattered rains in the Coastal region. (NSS)

No fresh clash, curfew relaxed in Kokrajhar

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The situation in the strife-torn lower Assam districts is limping back to normal with authorities relaxing curfew in the worst-hit Kokrajhar district on Sunday.

The indefinite curfew clamped in the Kokrajhar district has been relaxed for the day while night curfew between 6 pm to 6 am will continue in the other affected districts, official sources said.

The official death toll remained at 53 and there was no report of any fresh incident of violence.

Next Pakistan polls to be free and fair: Zardari

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Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has promised that the next general elections in the country will be free and fair, and that the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would once again be victorious.

The president also said all the chief ministers in the country will be from the PPP, Geo News reported.

Zardari said several mega projects had been launched by the present government for economic development of the country.

–IANS–

US has ’solemn duty’ to stop nuclear Iran: Romney

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US presidential candidate Mitt Romney, currently on a visit to Israel, emphasized that America has “a solemn duty and a moral imperative” to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear weaponry.

Romney, in a speech in Jerusalem Sunday, also talked about “shared values” between Israel and the US, Xinhua reported.

“Make no mistake, the ayatollahs in Iran are testing our moral defences. They want to know who will object and who will look the other way,” Romney said.

“We will not look away nor will our country ever look away from our passion and commitment to Israel,” he said.

Delhi Metro services out of gear due to Power failure

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Thousands of commuters in the capital faced a harrowing time Monday morning as services of the Delhi Metro were disrupted due to tripping of power supply. However, officials said 25 percent of the trains on all the lines were put into service from 7 a.m.

“From 7 a.m., only 25 percent of trains on all lines are being operated. One out of four trains are on time as of now. We hope to operate about 60 percent of the trains by 9 a.m.,” a Metro official said.